Thursday, May 26, 2011

The most important organ in your entire body for weight loss is the same one as for sex: that big brain of yours. And the most important way to keep it healthy as you age is by doing it as little harm as possible. How? By not eating incorrectly. Even before you start investing in pricey organic produce or bankrolling a regimen of expensive supplements & vitamins, it’s worth noting that just eating “not incorrectly” (which is not the same as eating correctly) is actually one of the most affordable, easiest ways you can protect yourself against one of our most heartbreaking diseases of civilization: the deteriorating mental condition of Alzheimer’s dementia, which occurs when the cells die off because the brain is starved of metabolic fuel.

The best way to starve a brain? Simple: flood it with insulin. How? Just eat tons of the refined carbs that everyone is addicted to as part of “oh just one donut/candybar/High Fructose Corn Syrup filled soda never killed anyone” Club (actually, just one did…it led to 50 which led to 100 which eventually led to a slow death of vital organs, like the liver & brain).

Friday, May 20, 2011

I just found this great, simple article that shows how to start eating low carb and high fat, which is a good preventative measure for AD and also a treatment for those already afflicted. The author is Andreas Eenfeldt, a Swedish medical doctor and specialist in family medicine, and you can visit his website by clicking here, and you can find him on Facebook by clicking here.

Do you want to eat real food (as much as you like) and improve your health and weight? It may sound too good to be true, but LCHF is a method that has been used for 150 years. Now modern science proves that it works.

There is no weighing your food, no counting, no bizarre “meal replacements”, no pills. There is just real food and common sense. And by the way, all the advice here is 100 percent free.

Introduction

LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat) means you eat less carbohydrates with a higher proportion of fat. The most important point is to minimize your intake of sugar and starches. That way you can eat other delicious foods until you are satisfied – and still lose weight.
A number of recent major scientific studies show that LCHF makes it easier to lose weight and control your blood sugar. And that may just be the beginning.

The basics

Eat when you’re hungry until you are satisfied. It’s that simple. You do not need to count calories or weigh your food. And just forget about industrially produced low fat products.

Real food. Add some good fat (like butter).

There are good scientific reasons why LCHF works. When you avoid sugar and starches your blood sugar stabilizes and the levels of the fat storing hormone insulin drops. This increases your fat burning and make you feel more satiated.

Note for diabetics

Avoiding the carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar decreases your need for medication to lower it. Taking the same dose of insulin as before might result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). You will need to test your blood sugar frequently in the beginning and adapt (lower) your medication. This should ideally be done with the assistance of a knowledgeable physician. If you are healthy or a diabetic treated by diet alone or just with Metformin there is no risk of hypoglycemia.

Dietary advice

Eat all you like

Meat: Any type. Beef, pork, game meat, chicken. The fat on the meat is good as well as skin on the chicken. Try to choose organic or grass fed meat if you can.

Fish and shellfish: All kinds. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or herring are great. Avoid breading.

Eggs: All kinds. Boiled, fried, omelettes. Preferably organic eggs.

Natural fat, fat sauces: Using butter and cream when you cook can make your food taste better and make you more satiated. Béarnaise, Hollandaise, read on the packages or make it yourself. Coconut fat, olive oil and canola oil are also good options.

Avoid if you can

Starch: Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, french fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli and so on. »Wholemeal products” are just less bad. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK if you’re not too strict with the carbohydrates.

Margarine: Industrially imitated butter with unnaturally high content of omega-6 fat. Has no health benefits, tastes bad. Statistically linked to asthma, allergies and other inflammatory diseases.

Beer: Liquid bread. Full of malt sugar, unfortunately.

Fruit: Very sweet, plenty of sugar. Eat once in a while, treat it as a natural form of candy.

Once in a while

You decide when the time is right. Your weight loss may slow down a bit

Drink most days

The advice above in other languages

The theory of LCHF

What are you designed to eat?

Humans evolved during millions of years as hunter-gatherers, without large amounts of carbohydrate. We ate the food that is available to us in nature by hunting, fishing and gathering all edible foods we could find. That did not include pure starch in the form of bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. We have only eaten such food for 5 – 10 000 years, since the beginning of agriculture. Just a limited adaptation of our genes can take place in such a relatively short time.
With the industrial revolution, 100 – 200 years ago, we got factories that could manufacture large amounts of pure sugar and white flour. Rapidly digested pure carbohydrates. There has been no time to genetically adapt to that food.
In the 80s the fear of fat gripped the western world. The low fat products appeared everywhere. If you eat less fat you need to eat more carbohydrates to feel full. At this time the worst epidemic of obesity and diabetes in history started. The most fatphobic country in the world, the USA, has been hit the hardest and is now the fattest major country in the world.
Today it is clear that the fear of real food with natural fat contents has been a mistake.

The problem of sugar and starch

All digestible carbohydrates are broken down to simple sugars in the intestines. The sugar is absorbed into the blood, raising the blood glucose. This increases the production of the hormone insulin. And insulin is our fat storing hormone.
Insulin is produced in the pancreas (pictured to the right). In large amounts insulin prevents fat burning and stores surplus nutrients in the fat cells. After some time (a few hours or less) this may result in a shortage of nutrients in the blood, creating feelings of hunger and cravings for something sweet. Usually at that point people eat some more. That starts the process again, a vicious cycle leading to weight gain.
A low intake of carbohydrates gives you a lower and more stable blood glucose, and lower amounts of insulin. This increases the release of fat from your fat stores and increases the fat burning. This usually gives fat loss, especially around the tummy in abdominally obese individuals.

Weight loss without hunger

LCHF makes it easier for the body to use its fat stores, as their release is no longer blocked by high insulin levels. This may be a reason why intake of fat gives a longer feeling of satiety than carbohydrates. Caloric intake usually drops in studies when the participants eat all they want on a low carb diet.
So, no counting or weighing of the food is required. You can forget about the calories and trust your feelings of hunger and satiety. Most people don’t need to count or weigh their food any more than they need to count their breathing. If you don´t believe it, just try a couple of weeks and see for yourself.

Health as a bonus

No animals in nature need the assistance of nutritional expertise or calorie charts to eat. And still, as long as they eat the food they are designed to eat they stay at a normal weight and they avoid caries, diabetes and heart disease. Why would humans be an exception? Why would you be an exception?
In scientific studies not only is the weight improved on a low carb diet – the blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol profile (HDL, triglycerides) is also improved. A calm stomach and less cravings for sweet food is also common experiences.

Initial side effects

If you stop eating sugar and starch cold turkey (recommended) you may experience some side effects as your body gets used to it. For most people it is relatively mild and just lasts a few days. Also there are ways to minimize it.
Common during the first week:

Headache

Tiredness

Dizziness

Heart palpitations

Irritability

The side effects rapidly subside as your body adapts and your fat burning increases. They can be minimized by drinking some extra fluid and temporarily increasing your salt intake somewhat. A good way can be some broth every few hours. Alternatively drink a few extra glasses of water and put some more salt on your food.
The reason is that carbohydrate rich foods may increase the water retention in your body. When you stop eating that food you will lose excess water through your kidneys. That may give dehydration and lack of salt in the first week before the body has had time to adapt.
Some prefer to decrease the intake of carbohydrates slowly, over a few weeks, to minimize side effects. But for most it is wise to take away most sugar and starch right away. A few extra pounds of fluids lost on the scale in the first days is great for the motivation.

How low to go?

The less carbohydrate you eat the more pronounced the effect on your weight and blood sugar will be. I recommend following the dietary advice as strict as you can. When you are happy with your weight and health you may gradually try eating more liberally (if you want to).

Tips and recipes

Breakfast suggestions

Eggs and bacon

Omelet

Leftovers from last night’s dinner

Coffee with cream

A can of mackerel and boiled eggs

Boiled egg with mayonnaise or butter

Avocado, salmon and crème fraiche

Sandwich on Oopsie-bread

A piece of very thin hard bread with plenty of butter, cheese, ham etc.

Cheese with butter on it

Boiled eggs mashed with butter, chopped chives, salt and pepper

A piece of brie cheese and some ham or salami

Lunch and dinner

Meat, fish or chicken dishes with vegetables and rich sauce. There are many alternatives to potatoes, such as mashed cauliflower.

Stews, soups or casseroles with allowed foods.

You can cook most recipes in cookbooks if you avoid carbohydrate-rich ingredients. It’s often a good idea to add some fat (e.g. butter, cream).

Drink water with your meal or once in a while a glass of wine.

Snacks

When you eat a low-carbohydrate diet with more fat and a bit more protein you will probably not need to eat as often. Don’t be surprised if you no longer need to snack. Many do well on two or three meals a day. If you need a snack:

Rolled up cheese or ham with a vegetable (some even spread butter on cheese)

Olives

Nuts

A piece of cheese

A boiled egg from the refrigerator

Some canned mackerel in tomato sauce

Olives and nuts can replace potato chips in front of TV. If you always get hungry between meals you probably do not eat enough fat. Don’t be afraid of fat. Eat more fat until you are satisfied.

Dining out or with friends

Eating in restaurants is usually not a big problem. You can ask them to switch potatoes/fries for a salad. Ask for some extra butter with meat dishes if you need more food.

Kebab can be decent fast food (preferably avoid the bread). In hamburger chains the hamburgers are usually the least bad option – naturally avoid any soft drinks and fries. Drink water. Pizza toppings are usually OK, the stricter you are the less of the pizza crust you can eat.

If you eat strictly everyday it is less of a problem to make a few exceptions when you are invited out. If you are not sure what will be served you can eat some food at home before you leave.

Some nuts or cheese is popular as “emergency food” when there are no good options to be found.

Shopping List for Beginners

Print this list and bring to the store:

Butter

Heavy cream (40%)

Sour cream (34%)

Eggs

Bacon

Meat (minced, steak, stew pieces, steaks, fillets, etc.)

Fish (preferably fat fish like salmon or mackerel)

Cheese (preferably high fat)

Turkish yoghurt (10% fat)

Cabbage (cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc.)

Other vegetables growing above ground

Frozen vegetables (broccoli, wok vegetables, etc.)

Avocado

Olives

Olive oil

Nuts

Clean pantry

Want to maximize your chances of success? Especially if you have difficult cravings / sugar addiction it is smart to throw out (or give away) sugary and starchy foods, light products and stuff like that:

Candy

Potato chips

Soft drinks and juices

Margarine

Sugar in all forms

Wheat flour

Pasta

Rice

Potatoes

Everything that says “low fat” or “no fat”

Ice cream

Cookies

Why not do it now?

The Serpent in Paradise

Be very skeptical of special “low carb” products such as pasta or chocolate.Unfortunately that is usually junk food that have stopped the weight loss for lots of people. These products are usually full of carbs once you see through their creative marketing.
Dreamfields’ “low carb pasta” for example is almost pure starch that is absorbed more or less like any pasta:

Low Carb chocolate is usually full of sugar alcohols, that the manufacturer does not count as carbs. But roughly half of them may be absorbed, raising the blood sugar. The rest ends up in the large intestine where it may easily cause gas and diarrhea. Additionally they can maintain sugar cravings.
If you want to be healthy and slim – eat real food instead.

RECIPES

Easy things to do with eggs

Put them in cold water and boil 4 minutes for soft-boiled or 8 minutes for hard-boiled. Add some mayo if you like.

Fry in butter on one or both sides. Add salt and pepper.

Melt some butter in the frying pan and add 2 eggs and 2-3 tablespoons of cream per serving. Add salt and pepper. Stir until done. Add some chives and grated cheese on top. Serve with fried bacon.

Make an omelette batter with 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of cream. Add salt and spices. Melt butter in the frying pan and pour in the batter. When the omelette solidifies on top you can fill it with something tasty. For example one or several kinds of cheese, fried bacon, fried mushrooms, good sausage (read the ingredients) or left-overs since last night’s dinner. Fold the omelette in half and serve with a crispy salad.

Instead of bread

Would you have a hard time living without bread. Ooopsies is a good option. It is a “bread” without carbs and can be eaten in many ways.Oopsies
6–8 depending on size.

Whip the egg whites together with the salt until very stiff. You should be able to turn the bowl over without the egg whites moving.

Mix the egg yolks and the cream cheese well. Add fiber husk and baking powder if you want (will make the oopsie more like bread).

Very gently put the egg whites into the yolk mix – try to keep the air in the egg whites.

Put 6 large or 8 smaller oopsies on a baking tray.

Bake in the middle of the oven at 150° C (300° F) for about 25 minutes – until they turn golden.

Can be eaten as bread or used as a hotdog- or hamburger bun. You can also put different kinds of seeds on them before baking them, for instance poppy-, sesame or sunflower seeds. One big oopsie can be used for a swiss roll. Add a generous layer of whipped cream and some berries.

Less strict: some breadCan´t live without real bread? Have a thin piece of bread and add lots of butter and toppings. The more butter and toppings the less bread you need to feel satisfied.

Instead of potatoes, rice, pasta

Mashed cauliflower: Divide the cauliflower in smaller pieces and boil them until soft with a pinch of salt. Remove the water. Add cream and butter and mix.

Salad of above-ground vegetables, perhaps with some kind of cheese. Try out different kinds.

Cauliflower rice, grated cauliflower boiled for a minute or two is a good substitute for rice.

Avocado

Snacks and dessert

Mixed nuts

Sausage cut in pieces, add a piece of cheese and put a tooth pick through them.

Vegetables with dip, e.g. cucumber sticks, peppers, cauliflower.

Cream cheese rolls: roll some cream cheese in a piece of salami, air dried ham or a long slice of cucumber.

Olives

LCHF-chips: put grated Parmesan cheese in small piles on a baking tray, heat in oven at 225° C (450° F), let it melt and get a nice color (be watchful – they easily get burned). Serve as chips, perhaps with some dip.

Cook books

There are a million cook books with low-carb recipes. Just avoid books that are unnecessarily scared of fat. If you avoid carbs you have to eat some more fat or you will be hungry. Don’t fear fat. Fat is your friend. Add fat until you feel satisfied.
Here is a good example:
Good luck with your new LCHF life!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Click here to read a discussion on the Alzheimer's Association Community Forum where people are comparing experiences of using coconut/MCT oil as therapy for their affected family member. Here is an excerpt:

I've seen the same "winding back of the clock" on certain symptoms that swarfmaker noted. My partner, who had become very calm and almost listless in the latter months before I began the oil is now again having anxiety and panic attacks like those that occurred earlier in the disease's progression.

And, as I've mentioned elsewhere, his handwriting is beginning to resume more of its old flow and openess; he is seeing computer icons and cursors, and buttons on remote controls that he had become unable to see; and his manual dexterity is improving with things such as fastening seatbelts and tying shoes.

Even though his reading is still seriously impaired, he has recovered an interest in reading and is disciplining himself to read a few minutes each day, no matter how frustrating. The mere fact that he has gained that motivation is encouraging.

His short-term memory remains the most impaired function, but even there he has remembered or noticed a few things lately that I had overlooked.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

On April 7, 2011, a former surgeon general and Dr. Suzanne de la Monte appeared on the Dr. Oz Show entitled, "A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Alzheimer's Disease," (can be watched on his website) where she presented her important research. She is the doctor who coined the term "type 3 diabetes" in reference to Alzheimer's disease.She found by accident that giving a nitrosamine compound called streptozotocin, used to deliberately produce diabetes, caused Alzheimer's in her lab mice. She learned that the brain produces its own insulin.

She further found that this compound causes production of toxic lipids in the liver that cross the blood brain barrier and damage certain cells such that the brain develops insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. Nitrites and nitrates, found in very many processed foods, are nitrosamine compounds and could very well explain the epidemics of Alzheimer's, autism, diabetes, MS, Parkinson's and ALS, along with other neurodegenerative diseases that have insulin resistance, decreased glucose uptake as part of the process. These diseases have all been on the increase as processed foods have taken over our diets. I will add Dr. de la Monte's references to the website http://www.coconutketones.com/, in the very near future. These nitrites and nitrates are in most bacon, ham and other meats, deli meats, whether pre-packaged or cut at the counter, processed cheeses, cereals, breads, pretzels, crackers, white flour and anything that contains white flour, certain beers, scotch and some other whiskeys.

Now something that has caught my attention for newborns and children: I found one of these offending compounds, thiamine mononitrate, in the Carnation infant formulas, some of the jarred baby foods, especially the junior combinations, cereals and other infant prepared foods such as macaroni and cheese. The government requires that certain vitamins such as thiamine are added to enrich foods that have been stripped of these nutrients by processing, most notably white flour and other grains. Thiamine mononitrate is a synthetic source of vitamin B1, rather than a naturally occurring vitamin, and is added to very many foods. Just look at the ingredients labels. Most people eat something with thiamine mononitrate in it for nearly every meal. Naturally occurring Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is usually water soluble, meaning that if you eat an excess of it, you will pass it out in the urine; however, thiamine mononitrate is fat soluble and the excess accumulates in the liver and fat cells. The FDA regulations (21 CFR 184.1878) say that thiamine mononitrate may be used in food "with no limitation other than good manufacturing practice" and that it "may be used in infant formula". These compounds could slowly kill off insulin producing cells in the brain and other organs, and when enough cells have been effected symptoms will begin to emerge.

This could explain the classic development of autism in children at 1 1/2 to 2 years of age who were previously thought to be normal. And in Alzheimers' it is believed that the disease process begins at least 10-20 years before symptoms appear. Animal studies need to be done to determine if thiamine mononitrate produces Alzheimer's disease, autism, type 2 diabetes and the other diseases mentioned above. In the meantime, it would behoove us to read the labels and eliminate anything from the diet that includes nitrosamines, nitrites, nitrates; look for these words alone or in combination with other words, such as thiamine mononitrate.

What is left for us to eat? Stay away from packaged and other processed foods and eat whole foods: organic whenever possible, vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy, goat milk and cheeses, nuts, legumes, whole grains (without added nitrates) grass fed beef, free range chicken, "natural" deli meats that have nothing added (they can be frozen to prolong use). I thought we were adhering very closely to a whole food diet until learning that many of the foods we were eating, such as deli meats and some "whole grain" breads and cereals, contain nitrites or nitrates. This could explain some of the deterioration we have seen in spite of everything else we are doing. Most important to our newest generation, mothers can avoid this problem by breastfeeding their babies for as long as possible.

Nitrites and nitrates are just one group of compounds we need to worry about for our newborns and toddlers. Also, consuming foods with medium chain fatty acids, such as coconut oil and MCT oil, can at least partly bypass the problem of insulin resistance by providing an alternative fuel to glucose for brain cells. And how could this possibly be related to the herpes simplex issue that I have written about? I found a 1977 article from the lab of Dr. George Cahill, Jr. ("Studies of Streptozotocin-induced insulitis and diabetes", Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 74(6): 2485-2489, June 1977), in which he used streptozotocin to produce diabetes in mice by destroying the beta cells of the pancreas-- an unexpected finding was an increased production of a type C virus in the beta cells that survived. Could it be that the virus is involved as part of the process that destroys the cell after exposure to nitrosamines, or is an opportunistic infection that takes over the damaged cells, which further complicates the Alzheimer’s disease process? The bottom line is to avoid any foods that contain nitrites or nitrates or any ingredient in which one of the words appears.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

You might wonder why there is an article about Type 2 Diabetes on a site about Alzheimer's Disease Prevention and Treatment. The reason is that many researchers are finding that there is a direct link between neurological disease, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and ALS and the high carb diets that the typical American eats. So an article about Diabetes is, by default, an article about Alzheimer's.

It's very important that a person at risk for Alzheimer's Disease stop the insanity and start eating low carb. So here is an article written by Jacqueline A. Eberstein, R.N., who worked with the late Dr. Robert Atkins, and who still teaches about healthy low carb living through the Atkins Nutritional Approach:

The frightening statistics regarding the escalating rates of type 2 diabetes continue. Based on the 2010 US population 79 million of us over the age of 20 have pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Given these numbers I think it’s time for a primer on type 2 diabetes.

It saddens me every time I read, as I often do, someone posting on a chat line that they have just been diagnosed with diabetes. They are surprised and upset. Some admit that diabetes runs in their family and they are overweight or obese.

I ask myself why are they surprised? We must do a better job educating people that type 2 diabetes is almost always preventable. Just because you have a family history of diabetes does not mean you can’t avoid it. You can but you need facts, a strategy and the earlier you start to prevent diabetes the better.

Much of the following information and more can be found in Atkins Diabetes Revolution co-authored by me (Jacqueline Eberstein, R.N.) and Dr. Mary Vernon. This book is based on Dr. Atkins many years of practice diagnosing the stages of blood sugar imbalances that ultimately lead to diabetes and what to do about them.

Diabetes is a Nutritional Wear and Tear Disease

You are not perfectly healthy and then suddenly have diabetes. There is a progression from insulin resistance (the first stage) to full blown diabetes. Over time the insulin producing cells in the pancreas will be permanently damaged. This progression can take years. Once enough of the beta cells are lost insulin is required. During those years you have the opportunity to protect your beta cells from burnout if you know you are at risk and choose to do something about it.

By the time you are diagnosed with diabetes you have been damaging your body for years. The latest numbers state that diabetes affects 25.8 million people (8.3% of the population). Of that number 7 million people already have diabetes but don’t know it.

Risk Factors for Diabetes: How Many Apply to You?

Obesity-The heavier you are the greater your risk. However, it is still possible to get diabetes even at a normal weight especially if you have a family history.

Sedentary lifestyle- Being a couch potato increases insulin resistance especially if you have a genetic risk for diabetes. It also makes it harder to maintain a healthy weight as you age and lose lean mass.

Heredity-A history of diabetes on one side of your family increases your risk, both sides of the family is a double whammy. The sooner you take action to protect your insulin making cells the better. Don’t assume you’re safe if you don’t think you have a family history. Remember the many people who are undiagnosed.

Gestation Diabetes-If you are a woman who has had gestational diabetes you’re risk of diabetes in the not so distant future is high. Not only can you harm yourself but your baby as well. Click herefor more info.

Metabolic Syndrome (pre-diabetes)-Having 3 out of the 5 following signs means you already have pre-diabetes: high blood pressure, increased abdominal fat, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and higher than normal blood sugars. You can learn a lot morehere. Remember that having pre-diabetes means you are already damaging your body so take this diagnosis very seriously, please.

Elevated blood sugar-If your blood sugar is already “a bit high” but not yet in the official diabetic range you are at risk. Make those lifestyle changes now.

Abnormal lipids- High triglycerides and low HDL are major risk factors for diabetes. These occur when insulin levels are high.

High blood pressure- High blood pressure and high blood sugar go hand in hand. Each is a warning sign of the same metabolic imbalance that leads to diabetes.

Age- As we get older and our bodies have been stressed year after year our cells’ response to insulin or the body’s ability to produce an adequate amount is comprised. Dietary stress is an important contributor. Note that diabetes is occurring in kids, teens and young adults as never before because of the escalating rates of obesity in these age groups.

The Road to Type 2 Diabetes

What eventually leads to diabetes begins with insulin resistance of cells especially liver, fat and muscle cells. Insulin resistance means that cells are unable to respond to insulin properly. Even people with a normal weight based on BMI can have insulin resistance if they have a genetic susceptibility to diabetes.

Here is the progression of insulin resistance to late stage type 2 diabetes as described by Dr. Robert Atkins.

1. Insulin resistance of cells

2. Insulin resistance with hyperinsulinism (the production of large amounts of insulin to control blood sugar levels)

5. Type 2 diabetes with insulin resistance and high insulin production

6. Type 2 diabetes with low or virtually no insulin production

It is important to remember that insulin is primarily stimulated by dietary carbohydrates. The same dietary carbohydrates that have been encouraged by US health authorities as the mainstay of a “healthy” diet. Given the results of this message (more obesity and more diabetes than ever) it is clear that this hasn’t worked except to benefit the food industry and drug companies. Keep in mind that once you have been diagnosed with diabetes there are a number of drugs your doctor will prescribe for you that you are expected to take for the rest of your life.

Recognizing a Diet Related Disorder

Moving through these stages takes time. Once stage 3 is reached and people become intolerant of carbs enough they develop an unstable blood sugar. Blood sugar highs and lows can occur a number of times during the day. The body’s stress response is called upon to normalize blood sugar, causing symptoms that affect quality of life or may require medication. Unfortunately, this stage is not recognized by many including the medical profession. Numerous symptoms that people seem to think are common are diet related.

A good prevention strategy is to avoid over-stressing your pancreatic beta cells-the cells that produce insulin. Since carbohydrate foods are the primary drivers of insulin it makes sense to control both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate foods. This will allow you to normalize your weight and save those vital pancreatic cells from burnout. Research done on properly designed restricted carbohydrate diets support this. This is also the way our ancestors ate long before the processed vegetable oils, fake unnatural fats and packaged foods became ubiquitous in the US diet.

Don’t wait until your doctor tells you are pre-diabetic. Remember your goal is to protect the insulin making cells in your pancreas before it is too late.

People with Diabetes Die Sooner from All Causes

Most people with type 2 diabetes die of cardiovascular disease. However, before CV disease takes a life a

person with diabetes can lose their eyesight, develop macular degeneration, get Alzheimer’s, lose limbs, suffer from painful nerve damage and require dialysis because of kidney failure.

People with diabetes are at a higher risk of a number of types of cancers as well as a shortened life span. Death can occur from any cause sooner in someone with diabetes than a person who does not have diabetes.

Words of Advice

I did not write this article to scare anyone unnecessarily but to give you facts and a strategy to avoid diabetes as I have. I have a family history of diabetes and had a severely unstable blood sugar in my early 20’s even though I was normal weight. My diet all of my life was high in carbs. I just couldn’t control them. It was in 1974 when I began working with Dr. Atkins that he recognized what was wrong with me and he made sure I knew what I could do about it. Since them I have followed an Atkins Lifestyle. I have him to thank for still being diabetes free. I want to pass that knowledge on to others. If you find this information to be useful please pass it on to family and friends.

If you have a family history of diabetes - restrict carbs.

If you have symptoms of an unstable blood sugar - restrict carbs.

If you have metabolic syndrome - restrict carbs.

If you crave carbs or can’t control your intake - restrict carbs.

The Solution

This is not the place to provide all of the info you need to learn about how to adopt a low carb plan. There is no short term solution. To learn how to make a permanent lifestyle change educate yourself fully about how to control your carb intake and find the correct amount of carbs to re-balance your metabolism.

There are a number of books including Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, AtkinsDiabetes Revolution and the newest The New Atkins for a New You that are chock full of information you need to be successful.

If you already have diabetes there is much you can do to stay healthier. To learn how to change your diet, especially if you take blood sugar lowering medication, read Atkins Diabetes Revolution to safely make the transition to a low carb diet and better blood sugar control and a longer, healthier life.

Because controlling carbs can be a powerful tool, do not cut your carb intake without consulting your physician to adjust medications. If you take the same amount of medications with a lower carb intake you are at risk for a severe low blood sugar reaction.

You can find this article by clicking here, which will take you to Eberstein's website, which is a wealth of information.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that the low-carb lifestyle is one of the healthiest nutritional plans out there to battle obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and so many other health ailments that plague modern society. But what about that actual gray matter between our ears? Can a low-carb diet do anything to improve brain function, memory, and even diseases like Alzheimer’s?
One of America’s top neurosurgeons says YES!

You’ll be pleased to hear that Drs. Mike & Mary Dan Eades not only endorse this book, but they actually wrote the foreword to it. And I was also asked by Dr. McCleary to preview the book and provide a blurb quote included on the jacket of the book. COOL!

“It isn’t difficult to find people who are suffering from a wide range of debilitating neurological conditions such as migraine headaches, Alzheimer’s disease, brain cancer, and worse these days. But leave it to a brain surgeon to figure out many of these can actually be treated and even reversed metabolically through some rather simple changes in the diet. Dr. Larry McCleary has figured out that controlling the amount of insulin production by consuming a healthy low-carb diet is indeed the most ‘brain-friendly’ way you could possibly eat. The Brain Trust Program he has developed from his many years of experience challenges people to think about the long-term impact of the high-carb foods they are eating not just on their waistline, but also on that gray matter between their ears! This book is guaranteed to shake up the status quo and quite literally turn traditional brain treatment on its head!”

You must get your hands on a copy of Dr. McCleary’s book because it is absolutely stunning information that neurosurgeons and patients alike need to be aware of to protect the health of their brains (this book will make a very nice complement to your low-carb library along with the upcoming Gary Taubes’ masterpiece Good Calories, Bad Calories).

Are you ready to hear from Dr. Larry McCleary himself? Here he is!

1. Today we have a bona fide expert in the field of brain function and the surprising metabolic connection. He is Dr. Larry McCleary, a brain surgeon currently serving as the Director of Research for the Advanced Metabolic Research Group as well as the former acting Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery and former Director of the Neuroscience Research Program at the famous Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. A world-renowned speaker who has been published extensively in some of the most prestigious medical journals dedicated to brain health, Dr. McCleary is THE go-to man for all things related to the brain.

It’s an honor to have you with us today, Dr. McCleary, and we look forward to gleaning from your knowledge and experience in this interview. What first got you interested in brain health and is it everything you expected it to be? What has been most surprising to you about this particular field of medicine that you never would have expected going into it?

Hi Jimmy. It’s great to be with you today.

As a pediatric neurosurgeon I took care of thousands of very sick brains. They were suffering from blood clots, infections, birth problems, tumors and traumatic insults. I was always searching for things that could help these sick brains recover and stay healthy.

Early in my career, I had the pleasure of working with a neuroscientist who was investigating the therapeutic potential for certain nutrients to improve brain function. Hollywood types were always stopping by to hear about the latest brain health tips from Dr. Harry Demopoulis. I had the opportunity of experiencing the dramatic impact of some of these brain-healthy compounds first hand.
So when I moved to Denver Children’s Hospital I continued the research. Working hand-in-hand with the Neuro-Rehab Division at the hospital, we provided the children under our care with a mix of essential fats, medium chain triglycerides, amino acids and other nutrients. We were convinced that these sped up brain recovery and enhanced mental function. The take-home message for me was if they could help the sickest of brains they could certainly help our brains as we aged.

2. Brain health entails more than most people even realize as you so brilliantly share in your brand new book entitled The Brain Trust Program. It is an outstanding resource that I was privileged to review and in it you share a three-part method for actually improving brain function through the use of diet, supplementation, and brain exercises. How does your novel new approach differ from the most common ways to correct brain abnormalities and conditions?

Jimmy, I think we have all heard that the brain burns glucose, or sugar. So if that’s the case, then giving it lots of sugar must make it work better. Although that might seem logical, the science doesn’t back it up. Just the opposite, there is a groundswell of medical evidence that documents how too much sugar can make the brain shrink, wither, atrophy and just plain work badly.

If you want to age your brain just eat the typical diet most Americans consume. That will lead to memory, attention and mood difficulties and will hasten the path to Alzheimer’s. The Brain Trust Program builds upon this concept and provides the science behind the recommendations.

3. Many eyebrows will certainly be raised when people find out what a “brain-healthy diet” actually looks like. Foods like fish, berries, green leafy vegetables, eggs, avocados, nuts, seeds, and coffee—conspicuously all low-sugar and low-carb, by the way—are highly recommended by you for maximized brain function. It falls right in line with the latest research for neurological diseases.

Essentially, you are stating that the health of the brain is directly tied to blood sugar levels in the body—something that medical literature confirms. I’m sure some of your colleagues will no doubt scoff at your contention that a simple nutritional approach is what is needed to preserve this most vital of our organs.

What led you to go down this path for treating your patients? Have you seen similar or better improvements in brain health compared with prescription drugs and other treatment options?

As you well know, prescription drugs usually act on a single metabolic, or cellular, pathway. By increasing or decreasing a specific functions, drugs might be able to treat something like an under-active thyroid. However, all of the diseases associated with aging such as heart disease, arthritis, thinning of bones, memory loss and stroke are hardly changed by drug therapy. The key question is why.

As we have seen, drugs act on a single highly specialized pathway. The diseases that cause most concern today involve disruption to multiple cellular pathways. That is why the pharmaceutical industry has failed us. We need a solution that improves MANY cellular functions. This is the very act of eating well. It is also closely tied to our DNA and evolutionary history. Simply stated, that is why nutrition is so important and so beneficial.

4. There’s a lot of controversy right now being discussed over the role of artificial sweeteners in a healthy diet. In terms of their impact on the brain, what do you think about the most popular sugar substitutes being used these days, including Nutrasweet (aspartame), Sweet ‘N Low (saccharin), and Splenda (sucralose)? What about the claim that these substances are merely excitotoxins that fool the brain into thinking they are sugar and, thus, the body responds in the same manner as sugar?

How about the plant-based stevia which is set to be approved as a sweetener by the FDA soon? Is it safer? Or is it just better to eat pure cane sugar, honey, and other natural sources of sugar in moderation as some studies have suggested for good brain health rather than risking any adverse side effects from these alternatives?

Most of the artificial sweeteners share a dark chemical side with the drugs that are prescribed like water in this country. Both share the fact that they are chemicals to which the body has never been exposed. For this reason they may be patented. When this occurs only one manufacturer may produce them and the profit margin is high. That is what is driving both industries.

Since the body has never seen them before, they may cause problems in certain people. This has been documented abundantly in the drug and artificial sweetener arena. For these reasons I would stick to fruits (which contain natural sweeteners) and spices (which are akin to stevia). I think we all must realize that sweetness is an acquired taste and just as we have been conditioned by the food manufacturing industry to crave sweets, we can de-condition ourselves be choosing natural foods. In time we will lose the urge to eat foods containing such additives.

5. Nutritional supplementation has become a multi-billion dollar industry these days with people taking every vitamin they can get their hands on in an effort to improve their health and ward off disease. Drugstore shelves are full of everything from A to Z, but who knows what to take? And are there better quality supplements people need which are not easily found in stores?

What are the absolutely essential supplements that everyone should be taking to give their brain the best potential for maximum function? Are there any supplements or gimmick “brain health” products out there that should be avoided like the plague?

I think this is a very important question. We are a society looking for a “quick fix” or magic bullet. I think we all know that those don’t exist. That is why proper nutrition is so important and remains the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. Once a good diet is in hand, there are a few nutritional supplements that can aid the aging brain. I discuss these in the Brain Trust Program. Basically they reinforce the effects of a healthy diet but add nutrients that are specific for the insults associated with aging.

There are a number of products that make egregious brain health claims. That alone should be a tipoff. Be careful to choose manufacturers who use quality ingredients, avoid sources that incorporate heavy metals and make sure they deliver what the label says.

6. A large part of your book includes some simple, but effective exercises for the brain. Why is this oft-neglected part of brain health so important and what are the benefits to setting aside time each day to do this? Can’t people just read or do a crossword puzzle and work their brains enough? What happens to those people who fail to exercise their brain beyond their regular, day-to-day activities?
The brain goes through “phases” if you will as it develops. When we are children, we soak up information like sponges. Learning is effortless. Difficult things like picking up language skills come easily. As we age the brain “solidifies” and becomes less flexible. This is not bad because by this time we know what we need to do to function in society to be successful.

The down side is that we can get “fixed in our ways” and lose the ability to look at things in novel ways. That is why a mentally challenging outlook on life is vital. It keeps the cobwebs away and stimulates ALL the important areas of our brain. That is what keeps us mentally young.

For this reason we need to continually be stimulating our brains in novel ways. This means reading books, solving problems, social interactions, doing puzzles, and even exercising. Aerobic activities, weight training and balance and coordination drills such as ping-pong, jump rope and trampoline activity activate different brain regions and keep us mentally young.

7. Diabetes has become the health crisis of our time with millions of new cases popping up every year while its twin epidemic obesity continues to get worse and worse. We all know about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, but what about this new version some researchers are calling “Type 3 diabetes” which is the new way of referring to Alzheimer’s Disease because of the impact sugar has on this condition?

I’ve highlighted several published studies here at my blog showing various versions of a low-carb diet can effectively reverse the symptoms of this condition, including one study by Dr. Thomas Seyfried from Boston College in February 2007 using a high-fat, low-carb diet to actually shrink brain cancer tumors. What has been your experience with treating brain diseases like these through innovative dietary improvements compared with the recommended Standard American Diet?

Type 3 diabetes as you have referred to, was a phrase coined by researchers at Brown University. It suggests that the brain is unable to effectively use glucose as a fuel, much the same as the body of a diabetic can no longer use glucose as a fuel. The ability to deliver a low, stable and continuous supply of glucose to the brain is what makes it most happy.

The dramatic spikes, surges, or continuous excessive supply delivered by today’s diet is toxic for the brain. It is now well-known that insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, or the worst form of sugar problem–diabetes, ages the brain and doubles the risk for all types of memory problems and even Alzheimers disease. As you have suggested, the types of fats and carbohydrates in our diets are key in accomplishing this goal.

We need to include more of the brain-friendly omega 3 fats and veggies and fruits (especially berries), and less of the refined carbohydrates such as cakes, cookies, and breads and trans fats in items like margarine.

8. Many of my readers who deal with less severe brain conditions like migraine headaches, menopause, hot flashes, dimming of the senses, brain fog, and memory loss will be pleased to learn that you actually recommend a specific “cocktail” for each of these in your book. Fascinating! Each of these contains all-natural and healthy ingredients that will supercharge your brain and make it better and stronger than ever.

Give us an example of your most prescribed “cocktail” for a common brain ailment. How quickly can people expect to find relief for their condition using these treatment options and will they need to keep up these regimens for the rest of their lives?

Many common conditions of the brain are directly related to its inability to produce the energy it needs to get through the day. Our brains are being asked to do more today than ever before. They consume energy 10x faster than the rest of the body. Our dietary and lifestyle choices impair the brain’s ability to meet these energy needs which depend upon glucose.

The suggestions I make in The Brain Trust Program depend on an alternative energy source the body developed millions of years ago for times when the brain couldn’t depend upon glucose. This alternative fuel is ketone bodies which are merely partially burned fats. They are burned differently than sugars and the brain loves them.

They have been shown to help a multitude of brain afflictions from memory loss to migraine headaches to hot flashes. They are generated in the body from a nutritional supplement called pure MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil that is available from high end vitamin stores or on the internet. When consumed the results and response can be surprising and may be measured in days! Another easy way to produce ketone bodies is simply by restricting carbohydrate intake.

9. You are a big believer in the body’s use of the ketone bodies that form in a carb-restricted state for optimal brain health. What has your research on ketones shown you to make you so confident that they are an excellent replacement for glucose as fuel for the brain? What is your professional response to those who oppose a low-carb nutritional approach as an unhealthy, dangerous, fad diet that is potentially harmful and deadly over the long-term?

Fad diets come and go. The diet we cut our evolutionary teeth on is essentially a low-carb diet that generates high levels of ketone bodies. You need look no further than the brains of children with intractable seizures to see how miraculous ketones are for brain health and function. They work where all drugs fail by increasing the energy available for the nerve cells and keeping them from becoming over-excited which is after all what causes seizures to develop in the first place.

10. THANK YOU for sharing a few moments of your time with us today here at the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” blog, Dr. McCleary. You truly are one of the leading voices in the health debate over the veracity of low-carb diets for health and the information you have provided about brain health and function in your new book and in this interview today is absolutely incredible. What is the ultimate take-home message that you hope people will remember (no pun intended!) about The Brain Trust Program?

We all age and our brains age–but at different rates. As this occurs, there is a period when the brain cells weaken, but before they die. This is when we have symptoms, but also when we can make a difference. If we change our diets, lifestyles and level of brain stimulation we can “nurse” a sick brain cell back to health. But the sooner you start, the better the outcome! So don’t wait…jump start your brain now before it is too late!

Friday, May 13, 2011

One of the worst possible neurological diseases people could ever be diagnosed with is Alzheimer’s disease. From the memory loss to weight loss to depression, it’s a sad state for the people afflicted with it as well as the family members who are left to deal with a loved one who may or may not recognize them on a day-to-day basis. With 5.3 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease today with a new case being identified every 70 seconds, finding a solution for this problem is a serious topic worthy of discussion. This podcast guest stumbled upon an unexpected dietary “cure” for her husband’s Alzheimer’s disease.

In Episode 240 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we are privileged to hear from Dr. Mary Newport who Jimmy first found out about after reading this St. Petersburg Times story about how feeding her husband coconut oil greatly IMPROVED his Alzheimer’s. It was such an extraordinary story that Jimmy just HAD to book her for an interview to tell this remarkable story to his listeners. She correctly identifies the glucose connection to Alzheimer’s disease which is now becoming well-known as Type 3 diabetes, how ketone bodies are the preferred fuel for brain function, and why medium chain triglycerides (MTCs) found in coconut oil are a miracle for her husband’s condition. This is one of the most stunning personal testimonies of how a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet can dramatically improve health. You can’t help but be a believer after listening to Dr. Newport gush about her husband Steve is overcoming his tremors, regain cognitive function, and DEFEATING his Alzheimer’s.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

My Mom has Recovered From Alzheimer's!It’s been a long road back for my Mom. A year ago, I saw you and your husband on TV, telling about Phosphatidylserine (PS) and how it helped him recover from Alzheimer’s. I was so thrilled to know there was hope for my Mom who was confused and hostile. I started giving Mom 100mg of PS a day, and continued for a few months. I didn’t see any improvement, Mom was getting worse.

Then, I purchased and read your book. I realized Mom needed a lot more PS to energize her brain. I began giving Mom 1000mg of PS a day. I still did not see any big improvement. I was beginning to lose hope.

I decided to increase the PS to 1600mg a day, and continued this dosage for three months. I began to see Mom coming back! She started to remember things from long ago. We started having conversations again and her appetite improved. In June, I decreased the PS to 1200mg as Mom continued to improve!

In October, Mom continued to progress. I decreased the PS to 900mg daily. By December, Mom is doing great and now on 600mg of PS a day. She is alert and aware of her surroundings. Mom has started doing things for herself – brushing her teeth, feeding herself, saying her prayers, putting her gloves on. She knows her birthday again. She will soon begin physical therapy. I will continue to give her 600-900mg of PS daily in her applesauce, I know Mom will keep on improving.

It is fine to use my story in hopes of helping others. I know Mom’s recovery is God’s miracle. Thanks to God and you, Nita, for all your help.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

According to the latest statistics from the Alzheimer's Association, a total of 5.3 million people are currently afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease at an annual cost of $172 billion in medical-related expenses. It is the 7th leading cause of death in 2010 and mortality rates have risen a whopping 46.1 percent from 2000-2006 (meanwhile death rates from stroke, prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, and HIV have all DROPPED during that same period). With the baby boomer generation coming of age, the incidence of Alzheimer’s has unfortunately become more and more prevalent with the rates expected to nearly triple by the year 2050.

Unfortunately, medical treatment options for Alzheimer’s patients is limited almost exclusively to pharmaceutical therapies. When a loved one is diagnosed with having Alzheimer’s disease, the medical profession tends to offer up a prescription drug and informs the family to prepare a will while the loved one still has their mental faculties and they are urged to begin making arrangements to place the Alzheimer’s-stricken family member in a nursing home. This is a ritual that has become much too commonplace with the steady rise in Alzheimer’s in recent years and it’s not going to get better anytime soon. It’s as if physicians have just thrown up their hands in defeat and given up on people who have Alzheimer’s disease thinking there is nothing more that can be done for them beyond medication (and, sadly, we’ve seen this play out with other diseases as well). But what if you could actually heal Alzheimer’s disease through some simple changes in diet and supplementation? Is it REALLY possible to transform the life of someone with Alzheimer’s by making some nutritional alterations that none of these medical experts are talking about? That’s exactly what a woman from Bedford, Indiana named Nita Scoggan wanted to find out.

After she and her husband Bill enjoyed a fantastic life together working for the federal government at both the Pentagon and the White House in Washington, DC during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton eras, they retired back to Bill’s birthplace in Indiana to enjoy the twilight of their lives together near family and friends. They had great hopes of traveling around the world and doing the things they’ve always wanted to do. But in 1999, Nita noticed that Bill began exhibiting behaviors that had her very concerned about the condition of his brain health. Forgetfulness was becoming the norm and he even seemed like he was in a fog most of the time. She scheduled an appointment to see a series of doctors who all confirmed her worst fears–Bill was quickly approaching an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease. After getting past the initial shock and devastation of this grim news, Nita was told to prepare Bill to live with this for the rest of his life. However, she refused to think the man she loved would be in a virtual vegetative state for his remaining days and so she implored the savvy research analyst skills she honed while working at the Pentagon to begin reading all studies that she could get her hands on about nutrition and supplements as it relates to Alzheimer’s disease. What she discovered and had never heard about before absolutely astounded her!

Grains and other sugary/starchy carbohydrates were making Bill’s brain run sluggish and so she had to immediately cut down on his consumption of these brain-draning foods. Additionally, when she came across a little-known supplement called Phosphatidylserine, the changes she began noticing in Bill when he took high doses of it were dramatic–the impact of his Alzheimer’s disease reversed and he began getting BETTER. The amazing transformation back to the Bill she knew and loved for so many years didn’t happen overnight, but within two years the negative effects of his Alzheimer’s disease was no longer apparent. He had been healed thanks to the changes in his nutrition and vitamins that Nita had implemented. It was this protocol that became the basis for the books and resources she now offers people who are interested in trying this method on their own family members with Alzheimer’s disease.

To read the rest of this article and to watch the Youtube videos of Jimmy Moore's interview with Nita and Bill Scoggan, click here.

(The first 7 minutes of the first video are about how Nita began to lead a Bible study. If you are not interested in that, you can skip ahead to minute 7 in the video where she begins to talk about AD.)

This website was created to share information from various sources that describe nutritional treatments for the prevention, treatment and, in some cases, reversal, of the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.

Mainstream medicine will say that AD is fatal and, once symptoms appear, little can be done to manage those symptoms and nothing can be done to reverse them. Drugs for AD that are currently in use give little hope that symptoms can be reversed.

Current research is shedding light on the possibility that symptoms can be halted and even reversed through the use of MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil, ketogenic (low carb, high fat) diets and proper use of supplements, such as magnesium, CoQ10, Acetyl l-Carnitine and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

Articles will be posted here as often as possible for anyone looking for hope for the people affected by AD.